For outsiders used to the gridlocked cities of South-East Asia, Yangon's leafy and uncongested boulevards make a pleasant change. For locals, however, they are just another reminder of the incompetence of their military rulers. The 5m inhabitants of the city own just 152,533 cars, say official statistics, or three cars for every 100 people. By contrast, some 3m vehicles ply the roads of Bangkok, in neighbouring Thailand. Myanmar's relative poverty must account for much of the difference, of course. But that poverty stems, in large part, from ludicrous government policies such as those governing the import and sale of cars.
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